Ideas for a one-year-old boy's birthday cake

Renee Shelton

Birthday ideas for boys can be fun and imaginative, especially for boys turning one year old. Boys at that age tend to be drawn to simple characters and shapes they are familiar with, such as rubber duckies and building blocks. Use primary colours or pastels in hues complementary to the season and theme that will attract his attention. Three-dimensional shapes are as popular as flat designs, and both styles can be used for the same designs with a little creativity.

Giant Number One Cake

Numeral cakes are an easy choice for one-year-old boys. Cakes can be made from a sheet cake, or from a 9-inch-by-13-inch cake pan. Draw a number one on a piece of cardboard as big as the cake pan and cut it out. This will be your template. Once the cake has finished baking and has completely cooled, place the cardboard template on top of the cake and trim. Place on a platter the size of the number. Using cake frosting, cover the sides and top, piping borders on the edges for decoration. Use the same colour as the party theme for uniformity.

Rubber Ducky Cake

Rubber ducky toys are a popular bath item, and cakes made to look like rubber duckies are fun to serve. Use aluminium or plastic novelty pans in the shape of a rubber ducky. Bake and cool the cake completely before icing. Colour the cake frosting a bright lemon yellow for the body and orange for the duck bill. Make the eyes from a small portion of reserved white cake frosting and a smaller, black portion.

Building Block Cake

Babies like to build and stack toys on top of each other, and creating cakes in the shape of building blocks makes it easy to create individual cakes for everyone at the party. To make individual building blocks, use two layers of cake with a filling in the centre. Cut into uniform cubes, and ice each with cake frosting. Decorations for the blocks include numbers, letters, basic shapes and simple animals. Use colours that contrast each item on the sides in bright colours in primary or pastel shades to match the party theme colours.

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About the Author

Renee Shelton is publisher of the periodical, Pastry Sampler Journal, and is editor and contributing writer to several niche blogs. Her personal webpages have been referenced in numerous cookbooks. When she isn't writing about food, you'll find her hunting down historical cookbooks at swap meets.